Unitized shipment package



June 27, 1961 J. L. WILLIAMS 2,990,058

UNITIZED SHIPMENT PACKAGE Filed March 17, 1959 INVENTOR. James L. Williams BY 8 W 3 Z? HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofice W 2,990,058 Patented June 27, 1961 2,990,058 UNITIZED SHIPMENT PACKAGE James L. Williams, Pittsburgh, Pa., assiguor to American- Saint G'obain Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 799,948 Claims. (Cl. 206-62) This application relates to the packaging of boxed sheet glass. More particularly, it relates to a unitized shipment package made of a rigidly banded together stack of individual boxes of that sheet glass.

Plate or sheet glass of the moderate sizes presently involved herein and particularly including 22" by 22" sizes and the sizes of a larger dimension along either or both edges is packaged and customarily shipped on edge while en route to the customer, being carried in such vertically disposed manner by rail car or other suitable transport vehicle. Both prior to and consequently at destination following shipment, this glass according to the practice is then stored flat in stacks which, to conserve storage space, run as tall as 20 to 24 boxes high, depending upon whether single strength or the so called double strength of the individual sheets is contained in the boxes of the stack.

. The foregoing procedure, therefore, requires individual handling of the glass carrying boxes in the rail car or vehicle to set them in a vertical plane in their customary loaded position and requires further individual handling to re-lay them flat for stacking incident to being unloaded for storing. In this connection, very large sizes of plate and sheet glass are exceptional and are usually shipped and stored on edge in every case.

According to the present improvement which involves a unitized shipment package of the glass with the individual sheets always disposed horizontally, it is unnecessary to orientate the boxes on edge for shipping; and, instead, the package is shipped or originally and finally stacked. Thus, when unloaded, it can be stored, disposed in the same attitude as when shipped. The simplification in handling procedure results in marked economies both as to savings from wasted motion and to a degree, from breakage in handling.

More particularly, my improved shipment package includes a generally rectangular stack of 20 to 24 wooden boxes of the flat glass, a set of generally cubically-shaped spacer blocks disposed one at each of the lower four corners of the stack, one or more pairs of bands of steel strapping to hold the boxes integrally 'with the blocks at those respective corners, and an anti-skid plate between the lowermost box of the stack and each block to prevent the latter from working inwardly beneath the stack along the adjacent band of strapping. The spacer blocks act as legs with sufiicient clearance rendering the package self-palletizing and enabling it to be readily engaged from the bottom by a fork lift truck so as to be lifted directly from the floor and introduced into and from a rail car for shipment.

Further features, objects, and advantages will either become apparent or be specifically pointed out when for a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE -1 is an end view in elevation of a unitized shipment package embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view in perspective of the package of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of a detail taken along the section lines IIIIII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the production of an anti-skid plate for the package; and

FIGURE 5 is an edge view showing the use of the skid plate of FIGURE 4.

In FIGURE 1, a stack of individual glass carrying boxes is shown, each being generally rectangular. At each of the four corners of the lowermost or base box 10, a spacer block 12 is located so as to form therewith an assembly which is held together by pairs of closed loops of steel strapping 14. The spacer blocks 12 act as legs supporting the stack of boxes sufficiently for receiving the lift fork of a lift fork truck. Such trucks mechanically carry the stack from place to place without need for disassembling same and obviating need for a customary skid platform to support the stack.

In FIGURE 2, the individual shipping boxes 10 have a wooden construction consisting of insets at the top and bottom, the top inset being indicated at 16. Each inset is located between a pair of side rails 18 nailed thereto and the top and bottom insets are connected together by means of longitudinally extending heads 20. Stacks of glass within each of the boxes 10 are concealed from view by means of a corrugated board protective wrapper 22. The customary quantity of glass packed in each box 10 is arbitrarily set at approximately 50* square feet. That is to say, in the instance of 24" x 24" glass lites, their square foot-age per lite is 4 square feet such that thirteen lites are required to the unit to total the requisite square footage per box.

A steel anti-skid plate 24 rests on each of the spacer blocks 12 in a midposition so as to squarely engage the bottommost side rail 18 on the base or lowermost box 10 in the stack. In this Way, the load carrying insets and. heads which support the upper stacks can transmit the load of the boxes through the intervening side rails and into the blocks '12 at the corner.

The steel strapping 14 consists of half-inch steel strip which fits within a half-inch wide routed channel 26 formed in the base surf-ace of each block 12 and is under suflicient tension to serve as binding straps holding the assembly tightly together. In this way, the binding straps hold each plate in compression to prevent the spacer block joint from separating axially to inadvertently release the plate. Conversely, the plate 24 holds the joint fast against shear stresses to prevent each block 12. from slipping laterally, loosening the tension on the binding strap. A ribbed edge protector 28 is interposed at each upper side edge of the uppermost box 10 over which a binding strap passes.

In FIGURE 3, the routed channel 26 in each block 12 enables the adjacent strap to pass therethrough at a point upwardly oifset from the bottom of the block whereby to protect the circumscribing band or strap from wear. The tension in that band is in the direction shown by the arrows and except for the anti-skid plates 24 would cause the block 12 to shift to the right as viewed in FIGURE 3.

Following is an example of the dimensions of the unitized shipment package of FIGURES l, 2, and 3 fore-.

Outside dimensions of glass containing box 1012" minimum x 22" minimum.

In FIGURE 4, the individual antiskid plates 24 are roughened on opposite surfaces by punching the metal so as to produce sharp metal points 30 having a disposition extending alternately in opposite directions normal to the plate. The punching members indicated by solid lines at 32 physically puncture perforations in the plates.

24 leaving a polygonal shape where the points themselves have vacated from the plane of the plate. In one physically constructed embodiment of the plate, the punctures or perforations were four-sided measuring on each edge and the resulting points 30 measured between A and 7 protruding normally from the plane of the plate 24.

In FIGURE 5, the points 30 can be seen to appear as torn perforation marginal portions which in practice tend to imbed into and curl within the wood against which they are pressed so as to form a clinging or gripping effect thereto. In one physically constructed embodiment of the invention, these points occurred with a resulting distribution pattern of six punctured perforations per square inch of plate surface, i.e., three points extending in one direction and three in the opposite direction. Although the midportion of the plate is preferably left intact, a centrally located nail hole 34 can be provided whereupon, if desired, the plate can be secured by a nail or screw fastener 36 directly to the block 12 to which it is to be mounted. However, there is a chance of damaging such a plate when it is separated from the block, in which case the plate is not reusable.

After shipment and storage of a shipment package of the preceding figures, the glass may be removed from the individual boxes of the stack in a manner leaving the stack intact. That is to say, if the nails be removed from the top inset, that inset 16 can be withdrawn and the glass sheets removed one at a time from any box 10 inasmuch as the wooden members constitute the sole structural members supporting the stack thereabove. After the glass is removed from all boxes in the stack, the individual spacer blocks 12 can be removed and returned to the plant for reuse in the next shipment package. They store together as a very compact group and are returned either with or without the accompanying anti-skid plates 24. Their dimensions make them adaptable to any square or rectangular-shaped stack and they have proved highly satisfactory as a substitute for the common platform-shaped skids which are currentl popular. They are clearly more versatile inasmuch as each group has no set rectangular dimensions overall such as a fixed skid platform has.

Variations within the spirit and scope of the invention described are equally comprehended by the foregoing description.

I claim:

1. Self-palletized glass shipment means comprising, in combination, a stack of flat boxes of generally rectangular shape for carrying glass, glass therein, spacer block means individual to the four corners of the stack at the base thereof, band means acting in tension to hold the stack and the block means in assembly as a unitized package with the block means under compression, said band means circumscribing the periphery of said package, and fiat interposed means individual to the block means and acting in shear between same and the adjacent interface of the base of the stack to prevent inward displacement of the block means.

2. Shipment means comprising, in combination, a stack of flat boxes for holding individually boxed groups of sheets, spacer blocks provided in a plurality of points around the base of the stack, band means each common to the blocks in at least two of the points around the base and being circumscribingly active in tension about the stack to hold the stack and the block means in assembly as a unitized package, and plates with interposed roughened surfaces individual to the block means so as to act in shear between same and the adjacent interface of the base of the stack to prevent inward displacement of the blocks.

3. In combination, a stack of flat boxes for carrying glass, glass therein, spacer blocks in at least four points around the base of the stack, band means each common to the blocks in at least two of the points around the base and being circumscribingly active in tension about the stack to hold the stack and the block means in assembly as a unitized package for shipping said glass, and interposed plates with opposite surfaces presenting sharp integral metal points and acting in shear in the interface of engagement between said stack base and each of said block means, said plates comprising perforated sheets of sheet metal and said package boxes and blocks being of wooden construction with said points imbedded therein.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said blocks are of a general cubical shape and wherein said blocks present relatively relieved, through channel portions through which said band means passes in engagement with each block at a point upwardly offset from the bottom of the block thereby to protect the band means from wear.

5. A self-palletized shipping package of glass comprising a flat box of structural box members secured together comprising heads and insets and located adjacent the upper part of the package, similar fiat boxes stacked therebelow of which the insets and heads carried thereby support and transmit the load of the upper boxes downwardly, stacks of glass individual to the boxes and protectively wrapped in stress-free relation therewit-hin, there being ground-engaging legs individual to the corners of the lowermost box and effective through their interfaces of engagement with the latter to react the load of the entire package from the corners into the ground, anti-skid means with opposite surfaces presenting sharp metal points and effective to act in shear imbedded in said interfaces, said anti-skid means comprising a rough perforated sheet metal plate construction in which the sharp metal points consist of severed perforation marginal portions resulting from punching the perforations in the plate and in which the points have a disposition extending alternately in opposite directions normal to the plate resulting from punches through the plane of the plate from opposite sides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,546 Zeigler Aug. 20, 1889 2,614,689 Miller Oct. 21, 1952 2,895,608 Wilson July 21, 1959 Column 1 line 39, for "or" read as line 55 for "self-palletizing" read self palletized Signed and sealed this 5th day of December 1961.

(SEA L) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N0, 2,990,058 June 27 1961 James La Williams It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent. should read as "corrected below Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DC- 

